Anyone can develop any opinion he wishes, but according to the Buddha in the Mahanama sutta AN 8.25, those who have taken refuge are Buddhists, and those who keep the 5 precepts well are virtuous Buddhists. Almost every Buddhist I know do not keep the precepts to perfection but I would consider them...

Yes you can, and you'll receive the corresponding merits of that act which will be a sad waste of opportunity. "I tell you, Vaccha, even if a person throws the rinsings of a bowl or a cup into a village pool or pond, thinking, 'May whatever animals live here feed on this,' that would be a source of ...

"This David-Goliath face-off is how moral courage is defined and moral authority derived. In this universe, morality is a weapon, a stone to bash someone’s head in. But Suu Kyi has never subscribed to this philosophy. In her moral universe, courage is the freedom from fear, which she defines as the ...

There are a number of suttas where the Buddha criticises killing, stealing, lying and sexual misconduct for they lead to rebirth in the lower worlds. For eg. Sigalovada sutta "The destruction of life, householder, is a vice and so are stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying." Sankha sutta "He, in var...

"After my first vipassana, I quit smoking. After my second, I quit booze. After my third, I made peace with my dad. I didn't have to work at these things, the desire to smoke and drink just went away, along with the desire to stay pissed at pops." https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ywk3mw/im-addicte...

In SE Asia and Sri Lanka, I think he is probably the most popular english speaking monk. His talks here draws audiences in the hundreds. When traveling, he packs his schedule with teachings sometimes up to 2 or 3 in a day. His youtube channel probably makes him the Theravadin monk with the greatest ...

It's incredibly powerful, Living with a whole monastery full of monks all doing the same thing Imagine you are living in a Dhammayutta monastery! I think you'll find good monasteries in all Nikayas. It is better to identify good practicing monasteries or good teachers than simply to go with a Nikaya.

Off the top of my head, there's Bhikkhu Cintita. There was also a US mother and son who both ordained ( not sure if both are still in robes though). I remember coming across others but the memory didn't stick. :) I believe you’re thinking of Ayya Santussika out of Karuna Buddhist Vihara in Californ...

I'm not sure if it can be considered as persecution but Buddhism is suppressed or manipulated in all Communist countries. In Korea, it is often attacked by fundamentalist Christians. It Bangladesh and NE India, it is victimised by Muslims, often with the backing of the government. Buddhism is not al...